For one week of the year, fans of bad hockey teams have a legitimate reason to be happier than those of competitive teams. The 2012 NHL draft is four days away and for only the 2nd time in NHL history, three Canadian teams will be drafting in the top-five; the Leafs sit at five, the Habs at three while the Oilers will choose first.

I can guarantee you that fans in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto are much more excited this week than fans in Phoenix, New Jersey and New York.

It will be curious to see if fans still be excited Friday night after the first picks are announced?

Near the start of the 2011-12 season, Mikhail Grigorenko was considered one of the top two talents in the upcoming draft. In fact, some lists had him as a "1B" prospect next to probable first overall pick Nail Yakupov.

They own the second overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, a surprisingly deep group of NHL defensemen, and their general manager learned his trade as an executive in Edmonton. Are the Columbus Blue Jackets a good trading partner for the Oilers?

Dale Tallon was named general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks on June 21, 2005. His first year featured a spending spree that landed free agents Nikolai Khabibulin, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Lapointe and Jaroslav Spacek (Khabibulin’s four-year pact made him the highest-paid goalie in the NHL). Trent Yawney was hired as the team’s new head coach.

That team was supposed to take a big step forward. Instead, they finished 28th in the NHL. That summer, they drafted Jonathan Toews third overall. Four summers later, the Blackhawks celebrated their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

Less than a week until the draft boys and girls and the anticipation is starting to build. Will the OIlers pick Yakupov, Murray or trade down? Do the Leafs finally convince someone to take Luke Schenn? Will Calgary trade one of their "big three" contracts? Will everyone in the arena boo the Canucks organization again?

These questions (and more) will be answered in Pittsburgh this coming Friday/Saturday. For now, we're left speculating with folks like Jonathan Willis, Brad MacPherson and Kent Wilson.